Thousands of civilian employees will at Picatinny Arsenal have returned to work, according to a report. John Munson/The Star-Ledger

It cited a Picatinny spokesman saying all
but 300 workers would be back to work by the end of Monday. Auditors and public affairs
workers would be among those to remain furloughed, it said.

The return comes after the Department of Defense ordered most of its 400,000 furloughed civilian employees back to work, citing the Pay Our Military Act.

Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel said in a statement released this weekend the law doesn't allow all civilians to return to work, but said it allows the DoD "to eliminate furloughs for employees whose responsibilities contribute to the morale, well-being, capabilities and readiness of service members."

Hagel directed military departments to identify employees who qualify.

"We have tried to exempt as many DoD civilian personnel as possible from furloughs. We will continue to try to bring all civilian employees back to work as soon as possible," he wrote. "Ultimately, the surest way to end these damaging and irresponsible furloughs, and to enable us to fulfill our mission as a Department, is for Congress to pass a budget and restore funds for the entire federal government."

As of a Monday morning, Picatinny staffers were still unsure what the impact on their work would be. In a Facebook post early Monday, it urged employees not to return to work until they are personally contacted and told to come in.

And as things got back up to speed Tuesday, some things were bumpy. The Facebook page warned some items might not be available at the Picatinny Commissary, though it was set to open with regular hours.

"This has been a very disruptive year for our people — including active duty, National Guard and reserve personnel, and DoD civilians and contractors," Hagel wrote. "Many important activities remain curtailed while the shutdown goes on. Civilians under furlough face the uncertainty of not knowing when they will next receive a paycheck.

Earlier this year, Picatinny employees faced furloughs because of sequestration. Employees were originally expected to take 11 unpaid days off, though that number was eventually dropped to six.

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"I strongly support efforts in Congress to enact legislation to retroactively compensate all furloughed employees," Hagel wrote. "And I will continue to urge Congress to fulfill its basic responsibilities to pass a budget and restore full funding for the Department of Defense and the rest of the government."

Joe Cuccaro of Franklin in Sussex County, who works in the arsenal's automated test systems division, hadn't been furloughed as of Friday. But he told NJ.com it was hard to be productive, with many coworkers in his department and others told to stay home.

"Just close the place down completely," Cuccaro said Friday. "I think
they’re wasting more money, because nobody can get anything done.
Everyone is upset, annoyed. It’s not a good situation. It’s a pissing
contest, and the government employees are the pawns."

Picatinny analyst Donna Magkowski of Roxbury told NJ.com Friday she had been furloughed at the beginning of the week. But she said she wasn't worried about herself — her finances were stable and she was enjoying the time off. She said she was more worried about younger coworkers who were living paycheck to paycheck.

"What are they supposed to do?" she asked.

Magkowski said she opposes the Affordable Care Act — the healthcare law Congressional Republicans want to defund in any continuing resolution bill to reopen the government.

"I'm against Obamacare. But do I think they should shut down the government over it? That's ludicrous," she said.